October 28, 2010

Sorry if this one looks a little green. I had to take the picture inside. I'd been waiting for 3 days to take it outside in good light and every night something has distracted or detained me from doing so. So I had to take it inside.
But the good news about that is that I'm finally starting to learn how to shoot my camera in manual mode, so I don't have to use the flash indoors. No where near good, but I'm improving :)

I finally caved and bought my first Studio Calico kit. I can't wait for those alphabet stamps. I love those Sassafras monthly cards too. I've got to find something great to do with those.

After searching and editing through more of the photos I took of Zoe, I have a few more to share. (They look way better when you click on them individually. I didn't sharpen them for the web before I posted them)

I'm looking forward to our family pictures this weekend. I bought Zoe a cute knit beanie to wear and she loves it. Now to decide about her hair, curly or straight? Thoughts?

October 24, 2010

Thanks to Grandma, Zoe has learned how to build with the Legos, instead of just throwing them all over the floor. She still loves to throw them all over the floor but enjoys building with them as well.

We build A LOT of houses and tree houses.

I took these a few weeks ago,on a lazy Saturday afternoon, similar to the one we had this weekend.

I've been gearing up for our Annual Primary (children's) Program at church. I was put in charge of the choreography and it took a lot of work by all to get all the kinks worked out at practice.It went off without a hitch! The kids did such a great job, even though they only had 2 practices.

I'm amazed at how calm and quiet they all were.

We have the best Primary.

I have been scrapping but haven't had a chance to get outside to take pictures, since it's been raining all weekend! Zoe and I made some banana bread and it's baking right now....

October 17, 2010

I discovered tonight that we don't own a single mug...how is that even possible? Seriously?!? Doesn't every home have a surplus of mugs? We've been married 3.5 years and we don't own a mug. I feel a slight sense of failure.
So I'm drinking my hot beverage in a glass with 3 paper towels wrapped around it. Mug Fail.

I've been scrapping the past few nights and I'm really pleased with how my layouts have turned out. I have a new addiction to Bazzill Basics, orange peel textured, Wheat cardstock. It's becoming a close favorite to my usual Kraft.
Here's a couple sneak peeks until I get them photographed.

Isn't that cow paper the best? It's actually the back of an advertisement by Studio Calico. Pure genius.

As I was going through all my Apple Hill pictures, I found this gem. She makes me laugh.

October 16, 2010

We actually got in our Apple Hill trip! I was so excited. Last year, Zoe was a bit too little to appreciate and enjoy the whole experience. It was really busy this year, but worth it.
We went to a new farm this year, Apple Ridge Farms.

I think Zoe's favorite part was feeding these goats. I hope the video works. Zoe was giggling so loud, it was so funny. People around us kept laughing at how excited she was.

This little goat was following Zoe all throughout the pen.

Zoe finally got her pony ride.
We've been talking about this for a long time. Every Day on our way home, we pass by a stable with horses. She always talks about how she wants to ride them and how pretty they are.
I was worried that she would be afraid and cry and not want to get on, but she only cried when our turn was over.

We did stop by High Hill Farms to get our apple donuts. We picked up some apple butter, rome apples and fresh apple juice too. mmmm...

Zoe and I took long naps when we got home and Ryan went to bed early. It was a long but really fun day!

I've got lots of pictures to scrap! Hope you're having a great weekend!

October 15, 2010

It's official. We are moving to Idaho.
Unfortunately, Ryan didn't get in to BYU, so we're heading up to BYU-Idaho in 9 short weeks.

{ let the panic set in}

Not Panic about attending, just about everything we need to do from now till then.

{ Deep breaths...lots of deep breaths}

We've been busy this week, studying, errands, cleaning, etc. so I'll just share a couple of layouts I made last week.

I've been meaning to scrap these pictures from mini golf in Tahoe forever. I actually forgot about them until recently.
I loved that I got to add some memorabilia to this page, I knew there was a reason I kept that card. If you open that card, there's a tag with journaling about our day in Tahoe on there.
Hopefully when I'm long gone, my kids will actually pull the layouts out of the pages and discover these little pockets of journaling.

I made this right after out trip last week, like just hours after. I misted the white cardstock with cream Mr. Huey and I love how it turned out. I usually don't mist a whole page, just splothes, like you've been seeing, since my recnet discovery and addiction to using mists on my pages :)

We're finally going on our Apple Hill trip tomorrow, hopefully it goes off without a hitch and I bring back lots of fun pictures.

October 12, 2010

I made this 2-page layout over the weekend. All pictures from Zoe's 2nd birthday.

The page I had done previously, I didn't really like and it only had 2 photos on it that was very similar.

I decided to include a few more for this set.

My favorite picture from that day is the one with the green lid on the left side.

Jamie took that one. Zoe is pouting. It's just so typical her.

I still need to do a page with all the details from her party,

basically all my efforts need to be documented for my validation in spending hours on making cupcakes :)

On to making your own patterned paper...
I've had this idea in my head for a few weeks now and I finally got it out on paper last night.

It took me a LONG time but it was so worth it.

It involved alot more math that you'd think.

I haven't even finished the layout that goes with it,

but I wanted to show you the paper, before I cover it all up.

Lucky for me, my Cricut did most of the work.

I used scraps from my Cosmo Cricket Togetherness kit to cut all the patterned hexagons

and Bazzill Basics Dotted Swiss Cardstock-Salt for the white hexagons. All the hexagons are 1.5 inches

I used plain white cardstock as a backing. I randomly laid out the pattern by gluing down one hexagon and building off of that. I don't know that that was the best way to start, as it did not make my pattern perfectly square, but I like how it's sort of falling off the page.

October 11, 2010

Ok my blog world friends... I need your help.
So one of my favorite companies, Cosmo Cricket, is having a contest for a guest designer spot for November.
I would get to be on their design team for one month!
But in order to win a possible spot, I need nominations.

That's where you all come in.
I need nominations on this Cosmo Blog entry. Just leave a comment on the post nominating me and you could also win some new CC scrapping goodies.

October 6, 2010

The title of this post is one of our favorite lines for the TV show," Better Off Ted."

Lately, I'm not doing very well with this concept. Which can be attributed to the quietness of the blog.

See, the last time I moved more than 25 feet, was March 2007. I drove from Oklahoma to California, with a few stops in between. I was moving to marry the love of my life. Everything I owned fit into my 2-door Honda Civic.

I had my ipod chalk full of new music and a map and I was good to go. I left at around 5 am, there was beautiful orange sunrise. The tears I cried were when I passed the last Taco Bueno just before crossing into Kansas. And then more tears when I got stuck in a snow storm and had to drive through New Mexico. But I was happy to go it was a new beginning I had been waiting for my whole life.

This time is different. Although I complain about California and it's weather a lot, it's still been my home for the past 3.5 years. I have friends here, we're established here, we have family here.

Right now, we are still uncertain what state we're even moving too. I'm a constantly changing mixture of fear and sadness and anticipation. Sad to leave this place (although not my favorite geographically speaking) , my friends, family and security behind.

I'm anxious to find out where we're going, where we'll be living, what we'll be doing. Trying to hammer out some sort of schedule or routine, so we all don't loose our minds. Finding enough time to spend with friends and family before we go.

I'm scared we're doing the right thing, scared that Zoe will adapt well, scared that everything will work out exactly the way I want it to. Which I already know it won't. God doesn't work that way :)

And then this morning I read Stephanie Howell's blog, a favorite of mine.
she wrote, " ...where God nudges you on the shoulder and says "you are not in charge". "I have bigger plans for you".

And just like that, an answer to a prayer. A gentle reminder in an unsuspecting place, that my Heavenly Father is well aware of me and my family.

It's now my goal to deal with it a little more gracefully than I have in days past and have this as a reminder that I am not alone or forgotten. It will all work out.

So...It's still hot here.
WAY too hot for October. In October, it should be hinting about snowing,
but I guess that's my, grew up in Denver bias.

(Seriously, we wore winter coats under our Halloween costumes 4 out of 5 times)
And this Indian Summer/blasted heatwave is totally throwing off my fall cooking groove.

I was hoping by now, I'd be baking loaves of pumpkin bread and lots of soup.
Instead, I'm throwing stuff together, like beanie-weenies and peas. That's a complete meal right??

Ryan has gotten into hummus lately and so far I'm liking the addiction. I wasn't a big fan at first, but it's growing on me. I'm dipping carrots and pita chips, any other suggestions?

I baked these breadsticks on Monday, and they were SO good. A lot like The Pizza Factory in Provo, UT. I spread garlic butter on them right out of the oven. I also subbed white sugar for the brown sugar and it worked just fine.

I love my breadmaker.

Not much going on here except for our Dr. appt horror story yesterday.

Zoe went to the Dr. yesterday and it was a total nightmare. She started crying before they even weighed her. Sigh, it was a long 2 hours. And to top it all off she fell asleep in my arms right before she had to get shots. I had to wake my adorable sleeping beauty, to get shots. Then after they gave her 3 shots,

she was crying saying, " I so sorry Mommy. I so sorry." Worst. Feeling. Ever.

Yeah, I started to cry as I was trying to tell her, the shots weren't a punishment.
The nurse cried too. I think she felt almost as bad as I did.
But Zoe was happy to go home, and while we were driving home,

she said, "You ok Mommy?"
to which I replied, "Yes Zoe, I'm Ok."
then she said, "You take a nap Mommy?"
I said, "Yes, Mommy will take a nap too."

And that's what we did. We came home, snuggled and took naps. Oh, and had pizza at Zoe's request.
She deserved it.